


the nightmare waking you up

by kyoloren



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Biting, Blood, F/M, Human Ben Solo, It's vampires so you know what you're getting here, Kissing, There's some glamouring which hints at a loss of free will, Touch-Starved, Vampire Rey (Star Wars), Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25822237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyoloren/pseuds/kyoloren
Summary: After dark, the world belongs to the vampires. Ben Solo knows better than to be out, but he is because his luck is shitty. When he's cornered in an alleyway by a beautiful brunette vampire, she asks him for help. Except she's not asking and Ben is about to have a night he won't want to forget, or one he wishes he could remember.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Kylo Ren
Comments: 26
Kudos: 82
Collections: Galactic Idiots Collection





	the nightmare waking you up

**Author's Note:**

> Hello gentlefolks!
> 
> Here be a short one-shot about a vampire and a human. It's based off [this tweet](https://twitter.com/galacticidiots/status/1288129382112874496) by [@galacticidiots](https://twitter.com/galacticidiots)/[BensCalligraphySet](archiveofourown.org/users/BensCalligraphySet), as well as [this tweet](https://twitter.com/long_red_scarf/status/1282680569919410177) by an artist. It's a soft little vampire fic, nothing too outrageous but I still really enjoyed writing it and putting it out there!
> 
> Also with a beautiful moodboard by [the amazing Lena](https://twitter.com/bensoloswhore).

* * *

Ben Solo knew all the rules about going out after dark. Don’t do it, was the first one. And if you had to, carry precautions. Rosary beads or a cross, cloves of garlic in your pockets, small vials of holy water, even a pocket mirror was enough to distract a vampire long enough for you to get away.

After dusk, the world belonged to the vampires. There were rules about killing—for both sides—and most vampires spent their lives feeding off humans but keeping them alive. Ben had never met a vampire that he could remember—though his mother told a story of one trying to steal him away when he was a baby—and he was happy to keep it that way.

That is until his bastard of a boss made him stay late at work. No one else was in the building and Ben had to now make the slow, treacherous walk home alone. 

He clung to the wooden cross in his pocket, had the collar of his jacket pulled up around his ears and he walked swiftly, trying to be as invisible as possible. Not that it would help. Vampires could smell flowing blood, hear heartbeats…he could only hope to get home without incident.

As life would have it, his luck for the day was going to continue being shitty.

He was halfway home when he heard something rattle behind him. Before he had a chance to freeze or turn around, he felt a superhumanly strong hand yank on the back of his jacket and toss him into an alley. One hand scrambled against the brick for a moment, while the other pulled out the cross.

Ben turned around and tried not to yelp as the vampire batted the cross away. It clattered down the alley, disappearing into darkness. _Shit_.

He expected the worst, and not even his black turtleneck sweater could save him.

“I need your help,” a female voice said.

Brows furrowing, Ben blinked and his night vision started to adjust. The vampire before him was dressed in what looked like a short red leather trench coat and nothing else save for the black heels on her feet. Her mouth was a red smear against her pale skin and her hair was in big waves around her face, resisting gravity.

She was beautiful, but then again, all vampires were.

He then saw the yellow glow of her eyes and the double-fangs that peeked out between her lips as she sighed and placed a delicate but deadly hand on her waist. 

Vampires didn’t ask for help. This must be a trick. “For what?” he asked with a frown. He was tense all over, but she wasn’t attacking. Maybe he was dreaming?

She shifted on her feet—nervous? Embarrassed? “I need you to pretend to be my human servant at the Coven revelry.”

Ben’s eyes widened. There were plenty of humans who served vampires in numerous ways, but Ben had never wanted to be one of them. His parents told him it was lowly work, no matter the dopamine high you got when you were fed on.

He wouldn’t know from experience, but he’d watched enough educational tapes growing up. (And, to be completely honest, he’d watched one or two vampire porn videos too, out of curiosity. It was weird to see someone moving and writhing and bleeding while the other person was invisible.

He didn’t hate it either, finding it fascinating but the voice in the back of his head that belonged to his mother made guilt rise within him. He didn’t watch that stuff any more.)

“Why?” he asked. And then, “I have holy water.”

The vampire sighed and ran her tongue over the sharp teeth. “I’m already late as it is and my actual human servant ran into an unexpected death.”

“You.”

“No. Car accident.” She glanced around and took a step closer. She smelled _good_ , which was weird since she was dead. Ben swallowed hard. “I’d appreciate it if you’d give me your holy water. I’ll just take a few hours of your time and you’ll be on your way.”

Ben couldn’t really see a way out of this. “Why me?”

She peered up at him. “Because you’re one of the only humans stupid enough to be outside on a night of a revelry.”

Okay, so maybe she was right. She could hurt him, glamour him, make him do it, but she was asking. Which was… _nice_?

“Okay,” Ben heard himself saying. “But what do I get out of it?”

“A night you’ll never forget,” she said with a smile, showing all her fangs. “Or one you’ll wish you could remember.”

Before he realized what he was doing, he handed over the holy water vials and dropped the garlic cloves into the puddle near him. He let out a whimper as the vampire tossed the holy water into a dumpster.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Kylo,” he lied, using the name he’d created for a comic book character he’d never ended up writing because life got in the way. A life that was boring as hell and had taken twenty-nine years to have something of interest happen. And that something was _this_ right here.

If she thought he was lying, she didn’t say anything. “I’m Rey,” she told him and then took his hand. Her skin was cold but not frigid. He’d read that vampires could stay warm if they fed frequently enough. “Let’s go.”

And that’s how Ben Solo found himself walking beside a vampire, heading toward one of the most infamously bloody parties of the season. On the way, Rey told him everything he needed to do:

“Stay near me. Do as I ask. Don’t let anyone else bite you. If someone tries, tell me. I’ll crush them.”

“O—okay,” he’d said at that. He thought this was just a pretense but while _he_ was pretending, he was going to be surrounded by dozens (hundreds?) of real vampires. “Don’t you…don’t you need to glamour me?”

She stopped short and turned to face him. The street was almost completely dark but he could make out her pale face. “Do you want me to? I could glamour you now and you’d never remember the night. Or I can glamour you after, if you want to forget.”

“I—I’m fine,” he said. He’d rather have his wits about him, even if he didn’t have any garlic or holy water handy.

“Good. Just remember you’re there to please me and have a good time.” She straightened his jacket lapels and then started walking again.

oOo

They made it to the place where the party was: it was a big, dark mansion made of granite and it was lacking in windows. There were a few, of course, but most of the building was solid stone. Ben thought it looked like a tomb.

He followed Rey inside. Vampires could enter any establishment that was a residence without invitation if the owners were dead. She took off her trench coat, revealing a skin-tight mini-dress in black. Ben swallowed hard and added his jacket to the coat rack next to hers.

The mansion was dark, but lit by electric lights and flickering candles both. The design was a mix of modern and classic, with plush carpets, artwork on the walls, grand staircases, dark wood…it would have been cozy if it weren’t for the overwhelming stench of blood and the peals of laughter intermixed with what sounded like screams.

“Come,” Rey said, digging her nails into his bicep and dragging him through a set of closed doors. Inside, the room was well lit and filled with couches, chairs and lounges, where vampires and humans alike were sprawled.

Ben stilled at his first sight of a blissed-out human, blood dripping down their neck and chest, leaning back against a vampire’s chest without struggle. 

He hadn’t thought this through.

With Rey’s entrance, a number of eyes turned toward them. Some were guarded, some were malicious, some were curious. What kind of vampire had he teamed up with?

“Hello, you _darling_ thing,” a syrupy female voice called, breaking the spell. The piano music and din conversation continued. 

A beautiful vampire from the prime of her human life with thick brown hair stepped into view. She was dressed elaborately in white silk, pearls and diamonds, and she kissed both of Rey’s cheeks.

“Rose, how lovely to see you,” Rey said with genuine happiness.

“I’m so glad you came.”

“I’m sorry for being late. I had a little…trouble.” Rey glanced back at Ben and he tried to control his face and keep it neutral and compliant.

Rose laughed and hooked her arm with Rey’s. They started to walk and Ben followed, picking carefully where to step. He carefully avoided strewn arms and legs and small puddles of blood.

“Humans can be so tedious,” Rose was saying.

“Yes, sometimes,” Rey agreed.

“But they are fun to have around. I see you have a new one.”

Rey glanced back at him and he swore she looked relieved for him to be there. “I do. He’s doing just fine.”

“Ah, but you’re so cold, dear.” Rose yanked Rey to the side and grabbed the arm of a dozing human. She pulled it out like she was offering…a snack, which she was. “Have a drink.”

Rey swallowed but smiled, curling her hand around the human’s forearm and leaning in. Ben watched in fascination as beads of blood slipped from the suction of her lips and dripped onto the floor. She didn’t drink for long before she dropped the arm and licked her lips clean.

“Thank you,” Rey said politely.

Funny, Ben never thought of vampires as particularly polite.

Rose smiled and tugged her along again.

Somewhere along the way, a crystal glass was shoved into his hand. It smelled like alcohol and while he wanted his wits about him, he needed some courage as he walked by and felt vampire hands drag across his body as if he was the newest thing for sale in a store. He downed what he guessed was whiskey in two shots and then shook his head.

He glanced around the room—they were deep into the mansion now, this room bloodier than the others—and found that he couldn’t find Rey. Panic clutched at him, causing his heart to hammer.

He felt a warm hand slid across his chest from behind and a slim, pale vampire with slicked back red hair stepped to the side. “You’re new,” he said, his voice tinted with a European accent, much like Rey’s.

“I’m Rey’s,” he said, remembering his place. He wasn’t _with_ her, he _belonged_ to her.

“Hmm.” The vampire sized him up and Ben didn’t like where this was going. 

“I need to get back to her.” Ben took a step forward but was stopped by the vampire’s hand on his chest. It was like trying to walk through a wall.

“Rey isn’t often careless. She doesn’t like to share.” 

Ben couldn’t stop staring at the vampire’s pointed fangs. He felt himself sway and realized too late that he was probably being glamoured. He didn’t try to move and the vampire smiled. 

“There we go,” the vampire said. “That’s better.”

It was. It _was_ nice, the room was dark and cozy. Ben found himself on a couch, one of those old ones you’d see on period tv shows where two people could sit, with an armrest between them. What were they called?

He tilted his head back to look at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, shrouded in black fabric. He felt a cold breath on his neck.

“Hux!” Rey’s sharp voice cut through the content fog in Ben’s brain. He shook his head. “What the fuck.”

Ben felt her grab him and pull him to his feet. The rush of blood brought him back to his senses and he stepped behind Rey, feeling a little ashamed, heat rising to his cheeks.

“What?” Hux, the ginger vampire, got to his feet, too. He was lanky and languid like a cat. “You bring a new toy and expect me not to have fun?”

“Yes. You know I keep my affairs my _own_.” Rey reached back and grabbed Ben’s wrist, digging her nails in. “Come on, Kylo.”

Ben followed and was happy to find himself pulled into brighter rooms, where there were humans who were lucid, chatting and laughing and kissing each other and the vampires around them. Ben was forced down into a chair and Rey leaned down in front of him, her eyes at his level.

“Did he bite you?”

Ben lifted his hand and felt around under his turtleneck. “No,” he said. “He glamoured me, though.”

She narrowed her eyes and straightened up. “That dickhead.”

He laughed unexpectedly at her choice in a curse word. He would have expected something more…eloquent.

“What?” she asked, her gaze softening when she looked down at him.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “How long have you been a vampire?”

She arched an eyebrow. “That’s not something you ask.”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

Rey glanced around and then leaned down again. “I have something important to tell you, Kylo,” she said, holding his gaze and then dipped forward so her lips were right by his ear. “I need to bite you.”

Ben tensed and she put her hand comfortingly on his shoulder, rubbing with her thumb. Ben, who didn’t have friends outside of a handful of people he met for trivia on Sunday mornings, didn’t see a lot of people. He had his work, he had trivia, three times a year he went to visit his parents. But casual friendships? Casual touching? That was not something he usually got. Even though he knew this was disastrous, he actually found pleasure in the touches of her cool skin. “Why?” he finally asked.

“To mark you. To make you resistant to glamour for the night. It won’t last.” She continued to rub. “It feels nice.”

“It won’t…you won’t turn me,” he said…asked…he wasn’t sure. He was just happy that no one else seemed to be overhearing them.

“No,” she said, and he believed her.

Ben nodded just a little and she straightened up. She gave him a smile and walked behind him, trailing her hand across his hidden collarbone, settling on his other shoulder. The scent of her, he couldn’t quite place it but it was pleasant, intoxicating even. Her hair brushed against his as she bent close, trailing her fingertips down from his jaw, over his neck, tugging down the fabric of his collar.

Her lips brushed against his skin and while he was nervous, he couldn’t help but close his eyes and commit to memory the feeling of her touching him. It barely hurt—less than a flu shot—when her fangs broke his skin. He relaxed almost instantly, his hands lifting automatically to cup around her arm holding him in place. He thought, maybe, this wasn’t so bad. If she accidentally hit his artery and he bled out, it wouldn’t be the worst way to die.

Rey drank, her teeth scraping against skin and her tongue lapping it up. He almost slipped out of the chair, but her arm tightened and her mouth retreated, though he felt a few more licks and then the sting as air reached the new wounds.

“There,” she said, resting her cheek against his temple.

Just like in the books, in the documentaries, Ben was flooded with endorphins and dopamine. It was akin to an orgasm, but more mellow, a distant wave rather than an overwhelming crash. _Euphoria_ ; a word that he’d often heard but never had experienced. Until now.

“Now you’re mine,” Rey continued. “For the night, at least.”

He didn’t want to let her go, but he released her arm. When he stood, he felt different, lighter but clearer headed. He was…pliable now, following her through rooms, bringing her glasses of champagne clouded with drops of blood, sitting or standing next to her as she spoke with other vampires. The night went on and on and on and yet he never got tired. He did get hungry though, and he gorged himself on fruit he’d found in one of the rooms, and Rey brought him to a kitchen that had steaks cooked rare. He ate some and she spoke with the chef, who was, surprisingly, a vampire.

By the time they left, Ben wasn’t sure what the world would be like. For all he knew, decades had passed within those walls. He followed Rey outside, mechanically putting on his jacket against the cold.

They walked in silence, the sky lightening but the sunrise an hour off.

“You did well,” Rey said, once they were out of earshot. After she bit him, she’d been more physical with him inside. Leaning against him as they walked, dangling his arm around her shoulders, holding his hand and pulling him along. He could remember every touch.

“Thanks,” he said, the cold air clearing his head even more. “I think.”

“It’s you I should thank,” she confessed, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m…I’m not particularly well liked by a lot of the older vampires. I’m young, I don’t like to glamour my human servants, I don’t feed as regularly as they do…”

“So you’re a _good_ vampire?”

“No such thing.” She smiled at him. “But I try not to be cruel.”

They stopped on a corner and Ben recognized it as the alley where she’d found him. She lifted her hand and brushed her fingertips over his neck, her fang marks hidden. “I didn’t bite very deep,” she said, a small frown creasing her eyebrows, “so they should fade. Vampire bites heal quickly.”

“Okay,” he said.

“Do you…do you want me to glamour the night away? I can.” She pulled her hand away.

He thought about it. Nothing particularly bad had happened to him. He didn’t think such a thing would ever have been something he’d live through, his life being relatively mundane and safe. And Rey? Looking at her under the streetlight and the brightening sky…she was lovely and kind as far as vampires went.

Did he want to forget her?

“No,” he shook his head. “I want to remember.”

She nodded, pressing her lips together. “Thank you.”

“I’m still your pretend human servant until the sun comes up.”

“Are you?”

“I should walk you home.”

She tilted her head to the side, a small, amused smile on her face. “Okay, Kylo. You can walk the big bad monster home.”

Rey slid her hand around his elbow and guided him along. Vampires lived all over the city, in houses that looked just like anyone else’s. Surprisingly for Ben, her apartment building was across the street from his own.

“I live there,” he said, pointing.

“Do you now? What are the odds?” She peered up at the tall building.

“Never tell me the odds,” he muttered.

“What?”

“Just…just something my dad always says.” He huffed and ran his hand through his hair. “This is it then.”

“It is. I best get inside.” She gave him one last fangy smile before she turned.

“Can I kiss you?” Ben blurted out.

Rey’s laughter was like twinkling lights and he didn’t feel embarrassed at all. She twisted around just enough to meet his gaze. “Maybe. If we ever cross paths again, Kylo.” And then she was gone, through the locked door, into the lobby and gone.

oOo

Ben didn’t think anyone could blame him. He knew better than anyone that you should stay inside after dark. His house was still always stocked with garlic and holy water and he’d replaced his cross from last week.

But he couldn’t help thinking about that night. About Rey. About the feelings she evoked in him; about wanting to live again and do something other than his usual, mediocre life. He didn’t want to turn into his parents.

Rey was in his thoughts, in his dreams, sometimes in his nightmares too, but never as the monster. Always as his savior. Her marks faded, as she said, until they were gone completely, his neck bare and smooth.

So he decided not to be boring Ben Solo anymore. He had it all planned, including the bribe to get into her building, and the secondary bribe to get her apartment number.

She was up on the third floor, in apartment C. It was just after dusk, the sun’s last rays disappearing. He’d spent all week toying with the idea, wondering if the last thing she’d said to him had been an invitation or a warning.

With a knock, he held his breath and waited. The deadbolt shifted over and the door was pulled in. And there she was, her hair a little messier than last time, wearing a big t-shirt that fell around her like a dress.

“Kylo?” she asked, squinting. The lights were off in the apartment behind her, heavy black curtains covering the windows.

He didn’t correct her. He _wanted_ to be Kylo right now. Someone new, a fresh start. “You said if our paths ever crossed again,” he said. He felt more confident than ever, standing here.

She blinked and her eyes widened, big and owl-like. “I did say that, didn’t I?” She peered up at him, shorter on her flat feet than on her heels from before.

“Do you…did you find a new human servant?” he asked. There was nothing he could do if she had, but he needed to know.

Rey pushed the door open more and leaned against the door jam with her arms crossed. “No. I couldn’t quite shake the last one,” she replied, the corners of her pale pink lips turning up.

She meant him. She had to. He found himself smiling. He didn’t care what she called him; he hadn’t done too much research into human/vampire relationships because he knew Rey wasn’t _like_ other vampires, he was just glad she wasn’t kicking him out.

“You should come in,” she said after a beat, walking into her apartment. She flicked on a light, flooding the small space with illumination. It was a studio, with a big bed with grey sheets taking up most of the space. It was still mussed with sleep.

“Rey,” Ben said, closing the door behind him. 

“Hmm?” She turned and he stepped close, their feet almost touching. She tilted her head back and Ben lifted his hand, pausing before running his thumb across the soft swell of her bottom lip.

“I’ve never kissed a vampire before,” he said, eyes on the tiny peak of fangs he could see as her lips parted.

“Did you come all this way just to chicken out?” She bunched her hands into his shirt and chuckled.

Instead of answering, Ben slid his hand around the back of her head and leaned down, closing the space between them. She gave a yelp of surprise that he smothered with his lips and his tongue. Rey arched toward him, pushing herself to her tiptoes and carefully battling his tongue away when her fangs got too close. 

Ben sucked in a breath through his nose and was jealous when she didn’t need to breathe. Her back hit the counter that separated out the small kitchen and he pinned her there, taking all of her in.

He should have expected it, the prick against his tongue, the quick release of tangy copper. Rey whimpered and her hands clawed at him, as if he could be any closer. He broke off the kiss and she opened her eyes.

“The marks faded,” he said, holding her head in both his hands.

“I said they would.” Her pupils were big despite the harsh light above them.

“But I still wanted to see you again.”

Rey shook her head. “I didn’t glamour you. I swear it.”

“Huh…I just had to make sure.” He paused and sucked on his tongue, the last remnants of blood hitting the back of his throat. “Maybe I just like you.”

Rey licked her lips and her hands loosened their hold on his poor shirt, her pupils getting smaller. “I like you, too.”

There were many things he could ask then. Did she like him just because he tasted good? Did she like him as a servant, to do things for her when she asked, only to feed off of? He could, _should_ , as these things, but instead, he asked:

“Do vampires date?”

The question surprised a laugh out of Rey. “Um…I honestly don’t know.”

“Can we date?”

“I…maybe.”

“I would…I’d want you to bite me,” he said, a flush coming to his face, reddening his cheeks and ears.

Rey smoothed her hands over his chest and looked at him seriously.

“I liked it.”

“Humans do.”

“I really liked it. I don’t…I don’t know a lot of people. I’m rarely with human women—” when did he start talking like this? “—and I couldn’t stop thinking of every time you touched me at the party.”

Rey’s expression shifted. Curious, Ben would call it. “ _Oh_. I haven’t been a vampire very long by the Coven’s standards. I’ve had only a small number of human servants.”

“I’d like to stay with you. To help you. To get to know you.”

Rey studied his face. She was looking for something. Weakness perhaps, or glamour. He hated to think that someone could put him up to this, but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. After a minute or two, she leaned up and kissed him softly. “You can get to know me,” she said against his lips. “Over there in bed.”

Ben’s eyebrows raised a little in surprise. Rey dragged her nails down his shirt to his belt, a sly, hungry smile on her face. 

“Oh uh…I was expecting to um…get dinner…breakfast with you,” Ben said, processing.

“I’ll get my breakfast. You can get dinner later,” Rey told him, before she captured his mouth with hers.

Ben accepted that answer.


End file.
